Slaughter a pig . Photo by: bobinchina.wohlhueter.us to tie up; to hold fast. Holding a pig tightly down when killing is rathe...

Monday, November 30, 2015

LIEBRES WITH GAME 13TH CENTURY MEAT RECIPE

A Hare named LunaPhoto from: Anthony Martson

conejos, Ar narŷisiyya
(hare), ME con(a)ynges, Eng
hares, rabbits.

Hares have been hunted as long as they have existed in
Spain and England. They did not arrive in England until the Normans brought
them, i.e. after 1066 but were in Spain long before that.

In Al-Andalus, it was
thought that adult hares had meat producing slow digestion. It was consumed to
dissolve calcifications. For this it was advisable to eat them. The head of
the hare was cooked to use as broth in Arab soups or stews (tafayas),
which were believed to be reconstituting and useful for those who suffered
convulsions. Hare blood was applied to the face to remove freckles and old age
spots. Laza claims that rabbit grease
was used to relieve earaches and distilled water from baby rabbits restored
hearing and took away the buzzing sound. Avenzoar continued that the
left paw of hares possess the peculiarity that if hung on a woman’s thigh
during sex she will become pregnant; nevertheless to produce this effect
another paw should be hung on the girdle of the man.

Villena stated that they
were boiled or roasted whole and explaineed how to carve them. Ibn Razīn boiled his in spices and herbs and then
browned them in the oven. OtherSpanish rabbits
were marinated in various sauces, included in capírotadas, gazpachos and
lebratos.

Laza claims that Spain
was overrun with rabbits. There were so many that they had to get help against
them as they did on the Balearic Islands. They cut down the trees and destroyed
all the crops and the fields.

English rabbits could be roasted, stewed
in a thick almond broth or boiled in a broth with vinegar, water and wine or with
vinegar, blood, bread and fried onion. See untos. [Curye. 1985:180; Misc Reading; Ibn Razīn/Granja. 1960:216:27; Ibn Zuhr/García Sánchez. 1992:58:124; Laza.
2002:118; and
Villena/Calero. 2002:36b-37a]

GAME MEAT ADAPTED FROM

MARIN/FADALAT
SEC 2 CAP 4 CARNE DE CAZA, #5 OTRO PLATO, p 187

Ingredients

Athough Chicken was Used()Rabbit not in season)A Very Tastey DishPhoto by: Lord-Williams

1 hare

salt to taste

¼ c olive oil

½ tsp white pepper

2 tbsp dried cilantro

½ tsp cumin

1 tbsp murri

½ tsp saffron

¼ c vinegar

Preparation

Clean and wash a hare. Cut it into pieces and put it in a
clay pot. Add water, salt, olive oil, white pepper, dried cilantro cumin,
dissolved murri and color it with saffron. Cook until done.

Add vinegar and roast it in the oven. When golden brown and
almost all the liquid has evaporated remove from oven and let sit 15-20 minutes
before serving. Eat well if God wishes.

About Me

After becoming an avid researcher in college, I continued to dig up historical information from the National Library of Spain in Madrid during the decades that I lived there. Suddenly, I realized I had a large notebook/dictionary of words I did not comprehend in Old Spanish from readings of medieval classics like the Archipreste of Hita, Don Quixote etc.
While organizing this information it occurred to me to present the word that pertained to medieval cookery and a medieval recipe that has something to do with the word. taken from medieval manuscripts.
Each week I prepare three words with pertinent recipes and after trying the recipe, I share it these with you so that you cannot only learn about the etymology of the word but you can try the recipe too!
Beside the Medieval Spanish Chef Blog, I am a Airbnb hostess. See pictures of the room I rent out at the airbnb website under "The Most Magical Views of Santiago" (Chile): http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3184757